Anthony Ian "Beau" Cottrell (10 February 1907 – 10 December 1988) was a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. A hooker and prop, Cottrell represented

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

at a provincial level and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

, from 1929 to 1932. He played 22 matches for the All Blacks including 11 internationals. He went on to serve as a member of the management committee of the

Canterbury Rugby Union The Canterbury Rugby Football Union (also referred to as "Canterbury" or "CRFU") is the governing body for rugby union in a portion of the Canterbury region of New Zealand. Its colours are red and black in a hooped design. The CRFU govern the ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Cottrell served as an officer with the New Zealand 20th Battalion. He was taken prisoner-of-war during the First Battle of El Alamein in July 1942, when he was wounded going to the assistance of a wounded man in his platoon. Cottrell was later an active

Rotarian Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

and served as a district governor. In the

1968 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1968 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the '' Lo ...

, he was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services to the community. In 1977, Cottrell was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'argent de la reine Elizabeth II) is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is p ...

References

1907 births 1988 deaths Canterbury rugby union players New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand international rugby union players New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand prisoners of war in World War II New Zealand referees and umpires New Zealand rugby union players People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch Rugby union hookers Rugby union players from Westport, New Zealand Rugby union props Weston family (New Zealand) {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1900s-stub